Open House
by mamorel
Summary: A House fanfic for a 100themeschallenge. Each chapter may not follow an exact time line, but they should go together pretty well. Warnings for slash H/W pairing sort of non-cannonized but I try to stick to the show as much as possible. I do not own House.
1. Introduction

Introduction

Greg should have been on campus, but he wasn't. He was sitting in a bar, sipping a beer as he poured over his latest research paper. It was due Monday, and two days seemed like plenty of time to finish it. Greg barely noticed the young man who walked in until the man sat down next to him. He studied the young brunette out of the corner of his eye. He was well manicured, not the type of person you would usually find in a bar like this. He listened as the young man ordered his drink, a miller light. The overwhelmed bar tender set the beer on the counter. "Let me get that." Greg slipped a bill onto the bar and took the beer. The brunette looked at him, curiously. Greg leaned in closely and whispered in the young man's ear. "You're not old enough for it anyway." He watched the young man's face flush slightly. "Hey barkeep, can I get a coke for my friend? He changed his mind." House watched the barkeep pour a coke from the tap and set in on the bar in front of the young man. "What's your name?"

The young man took a sip of his coke. "James."

"Well, James. This isn't exactly the best neighborhood. Finish your coke and I'll walk you to the nearest bus station." Greg watched as the young man kept his head down. When Greg had finished not only his beer, but the beer his young companion had ordered as well, he tucked his paper into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and stood up. "Let's go." He waited until he they were out into the cool night air to speak again. "So where do you live?"

James kept his eyes down turned. "I'm staying at the Ramada on 57th."

"Good, it's closer than the station." Greg turned towards 57th Street and started walking. "How old are you kid?" He watched the young man's eyes search the street for the answer.

"I'm 19." James was unprepared when the man grabbed him by the arm and pushed him against the wall. "Seventeen. I'm seventeen." He was more shocked by his own hard on than by the strange man's sudden closeness.

Greg let go of the boy and they continued walking. "Do you realize how badly I could have hurt you?" He looked at the boy briefly and watched him nod his head. "You came to a bar. If you would have gotten drunk I could have done anything to you and you would have been none the wiser until tomorrow morning." The young brunette nodded again, and Greg thought he saw tears forming in his eyes. "Do you know how dangerous downtown Chicago can be on a cold deserted night; how easily it is to get mugged or raped." He watched the boy wipe his eyes with his sleeve. "To top it all off you just left the bar with a strange man. What would you have done if I was some psycho and tricked you down a dark alley to rape you?"

James stopped walking, his eyes too blurred by his tears to continue. "I just wanted to sneak out for a beer. I got lost and I thought I'd at least make the most of it. I'm sorry."

"Stop blubbering." Greg continued to walk and soon James caught up with him. "You don't seem like a stupid kid, so I'm not going to tell your parents where you were. Just don't pull a stupid stunt like this again." He turned the corner and he and James were standing in front of the Ramada. "Here's your hotel, kid." Greg turned to leave.

"I don't know your name." James called after the man who had escorted him home.

Greg didn't bother to turn around or stop. He just hollered over his shoulder. "Greg."


	2. Love

"I don't ever want to see you again." Katie got up to leave. "I loved you, James. I hope you know that."

James was left sitting alone on his bed. He knew that she loved him and he had tried, but his heart just wasn't in it. It was his third girlfriend this year. His mom just kept calling him a "heart breaker." He didn't mean to be, he was just never as attracted to the girls as they were to him.

"Katie didn't seem very happy when she left." James' father stood in the doorway.

"We broke up." James watched as his father sat down, taking the spot Katie had just vacated.

He thought for a moment before speaking. "Well, that's okay. You'll go through many girlfriends before you find the one who's right for you. You don't want to settle down until you're married."

"Dad, how did you know you were in love with mom?" James could see his father grin as he thought back on old memories.

"That was a long time ago, James. But, I knew that I loved her when she was all I could think about. I even dreamed about her." He laughed, clapping James on the back lightly. "But don't go looking for love, James. Love will come to you, and when it does you will know and you will cherish it. I should go back downstairs and let your mother know that everything is okay. You know how much she worries."

James watched his father leave and wondered what he would say if James revealed that he was already dreaming about someone. It had been six months since they'd visited New Jersey and he had run into Greg. Since then he had dreamed about Greg on numerous occasions. Was he supposed to love Greg? He'd most likely never even see him again.


	3. Light

Light **Okay, I know they never married, but it would have been cute, so please don't shoot me.**

Greg stared at the light behind the alter. It filtered in through the stained glass and fell in multicolored fragments on the floor in front of him. His breath was coming in short ragged bursts. He could see Stacy's brother Mick out of the corner of his eye. They stood in matching black tuxedos at the end of a short aisle. Greg pulled on the collar of his shirt; he could feel the sweat running down the sides of his face. Someone seriously needed to fix the air conditioner in here. He didn't need to look to his left to see Aubrey standing in a short purple pixie-like dress. She looked about as miserable as he felt. How had he let Stacy talk him into this? She had to bring up that famous word, "compromise." Stacy had wanted a big wedding. She wanted all of her family and friends there. Greg had simply wanted to go to the courthouse and sign the papers. He hadn't seen the point in calling everyone out of their own lives to come and sit through a long boring ceremony that signified nothing. But then again, wasn't that what marriage was supposed to be; a series of unending compromise? Mick mistook Greg's restlessness as anxiety and clapped him on the back. Greg forced a weak smile, wondering what was taking Stacy so long.

The organist started playing and Greg knew the time had come. Her heels clacked quietly on the fake wood tiles that lined the small aisle as she slowly approached. When Greg turned to face her, she glowed. Her eyes were alight with joy and her face radiated her love for Greg. He felt lost in her face for a brief moment before he realized the pastor was talking. His hearing seemed to disappear until Mick tapped him on the shoulder, holding out the ring. Greg took the ring and recited after the minister. His hands shook as he placed the ring on Stacy's fingers. He could see tears brimming in her eyes. This was all it had taken to make her happy. He'd do it a thousand times bigger if he could see her this happy again. He could hear her love for him in the words she recited and her hand shook as well when she put the ring on his finger.

"You may now kiss the bride." The minister could see that this was a marriage that would last a long time. They truly loved each other.

Greg took Stacy's lips in a tender kiss. Greg and Stacy turned presenting themselves to the handful of people they had invited. He led Stacy out into the bright sunlight and kissed her again.


	4. Dark

Dark

This was irrational, James knew that. But he couldn't help but feel his chest tighten as the thunder rocked the window pane. The lightening cut through the darkness, bathing the room in unnatural light. James wanted to turn the light on, but that would wake up his roommates. He didn't want to be rude, or seem like a baby on his first night at college. He would be here for a while and he couldn't risk something like this getting out to everyone. He jumped when the lightning flashed again. He covered his mouth to stop himself from crying out. Ben stirred slightly, but neither he nor Eric woke up. The light on his alarm clock went out and the room was now deeper in darkness. He felt his breath coming in short ragged bursts. He grabbed the flashlight from his nightstand and held in within his sweaty palms. He didn't turn it on, instead counting slowly to ten. He was almost 20, he wasn't supposed to be afraid of the dark or thunderstorms for that matter. He reached ten and his pulse still hadn't settled down. He got up and went to the bathroom. The darkness was deeper here and he allowed himself to turn the flashlight on. He could say that he had to pee and didn't want to trip. He told himself that it was an acceptable excuse. He closed the bathroom door and locked it. He flipped the light switch to the on position in case the power came back on.

James concentrated on the small circle of light aimed at the opposite wall and started counting. He didn't know how long he had been sitting on the edge of the bathtub just telling himself how irrational his fear was. There was nothing in the dark that could hurt you; he knew that, but it still did nothing to help him. A knock on the door, startled him and he almost peed his pants. "Just a minute." James stood and flushed the empty toilet for appearances sake. He opened the door and handed the flashlight off to his roommate.

James made his way back to bed and fought the urge to pull the covers up over his head. He let out a sigh of relief as his alarm clock came back on. He grabbed his watch and reset the time and his alarm. The campus light streamed in the window and James felt some of the tension leave his muscles.

"Dude, I think we need to get like a night light or something. Ben's area is like a deathtrap when you're trying to get to the bathroom in the dark." Eric tossed James his flashlight and laid back down on the bed.

"Sure, I'll pick one up tomorrow after class." James wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to laugh or cry, but either way he wasn't going to shun a night light.


	5. Seeking Solace

Seeking Solace **Your first peek at H/W**

Greg sat alone in his apartment for the first time since....well, however long he and Stacy had lived together. It had seemed like forever. A happy forever as far as he had been concerned, until she had betrayed him. He supposed that he understood where she came from, but that didn't make it feel any more right. He needed someone tonight, or he would drown himself in alcohol. He stood up, leaning heavily on his cane. He had learned the hard way what happened when he forgot about his leg. That burning, searing pain could last for hours. Greg paused at the door, throwing on his coat and headed out into the warm night air. He had skipped his morning walk because of his bad mood and decided that a walk to pub was in order. He knew how bad it could be when you skipped your physical therapy. The bar was quieter than usual and he opted for a stool at the bar instead of a booth. He had polished off three beers when a young man walked in and sat down next to him. The young man looked vaguely familiar and quite distraught. House noted the redness in his eyes, that indicated that the younger man had been crying. Neither of them spoke. The man ordered his beer and drank it in quite solitude. House couldn't stop his eyes from wandering to his companion and wondering where it was he'd seen him before. Greg hated it when people sat down at the bar and just started talking to him. It would figure that the one time he wanted the person to talk would be the one time he would get the silent treatment.

The young man set a few bills on the counter and stood to leave. He was halfway to the door when Greg popped a vicodin into his mouth, paid his own tab and followed the young man out into the dark evening. When Greg stepped outside he expected to have to catch up to the man, but instead found him standing just outside the door. "You look familiar."

The younger man looked at Greg with an odd smile and for a minute before turning away. "You too."

Greg knew the man was holding something back. He was easier to read than a book. It surprised Greg to feel his arousal growing as he stared into the sad chocolate colored eyes. He had been with a few guys while he was at college, but he'd been monogamous with Stacy. "Where are you headed?"

"Nowhere, really." He could feel his face flush as the older man's eyes studied him.

"The beers here are good. The ones at my place are free. Care to join me?" Greg didn't wait for the man to reply as he started back to his apartment. He heard the man's shoes clacking on the pavement as he caught up to Greg. Greg supposed that it should bother him that he had invited a man to his apartment without having said more than ten words to him, but he didn't think that far ahead. All that mattered in life was the now. "Did you go to Northwestern?"

"No. I did my undergraduate work at McGill University and now I'm finishing my degree from Colombia." The man thought it was odd that Greg hadn't asked him his name yet and he started to wonder if he looked more than familiar.

"So what brings you all the way out here to this crappy little bar?" Greg could feel his thigh starting to hurt and leaned a little more heavily on his cane.

"My girlfriend left me again. I just figured I'd seek solace where not so many people know me." He hadn't expected to run into Greg. He determined that it had to be fate.

Greg spent the rest of the walk in silence, pondering as to how he knew the young man. When they reached his apartment, Greg unlocked the door and let them both in. "Make yourself at home while I get us a few beers." Greg grabbed the six pack out of the refrigerator and tossed it on the sofa between him and the younger man. The pain had mostly gone away, but he threw back another pill just to be safe. He turned the television on and they drank several beers back in silence when it finally hit Greg. He smirked at the almost inebriated man before him. "You came to a bar, left with a man you didn't even know and followed him home. Then you allowed yourself to get drunk..."

"I'm not drunk." James could feel a slight buzzing at the back of his head, but he was far from drunk. It surprised him when the older man straddled him. He had noticed Greg's obvious limp and had thought that he would have been much slower. Greg pinned the young man's arms above his head. James tried to pull himself out of Greg's grasp, but Greg was stronger than he had thought. He felt his face flush at the older man's closeness.

"I could do anything to you and you'd be none the wiser until you recovered from your hangover tomorrow morning." Greg felt himself stir against the rough fabric of his jeans; he could also feel James' erection. "I'd have thought by now that you'd be smarter, James." Greg leaned in close and planted a kiss on James' lips.


	6. Break Away

Break Away

James sat on his mother's front porch with Eric just as they had when they were little kids. But neither of them were kids anymore. Eric's skin looked sallow and pale. His eyes seemed lost and glazed over. The drugs he had been pumping into his system for last few months. "You need help, Eric."

"Did mom tell you to say that?" Eric looked at his younger brother carefully. He could almost remember a time when he was the one looking out for James.

"No, she didn't. Eric you...." James was at a loss for words. How could he make Eric see what he was doing to his body, or his mind for that matter. "The drugs are going to kill you. Let me help you, okay?"

Eric laughed dryly. "My little brother, helping me? No, I think I can manage on my own. It's just a hobby, James. Nothing to worry about." He knew it was a lie; was almost certain that James knew it was a lie too. Eric could almost hear his mother sobbing upstairs. He had just wanted to come by and ask dad for a little cash to get him to New York. He hadn't expected James or mom to be home.

"They're never just a hobby, Eric." James stood up and leaned against the door. Why couldn't you just make people do what they needed to do?

"I got a job, James. It's not like last time. It's some construction gig up in New York. You're going to school there, right?" Eric had to squint as he looked up into the bright sunlight.

"Yeah, I start in the fall." James pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and fished out the hundred dollars dad had given him for completing his undergraduate work in Montreal. "Here. This should get you there." James knew he shouldn't give his brother the money, but he couldn't just leave him to fend for himself.

"Nah, I can't take all your money." Eric tried not to look at the money in his younger brother's outstretched hand. A part of him was screaming at him to take it, but he didn't want to. He could see the hurt in James' eyes already.

"Sure you can. I get paid on Friday. You just have to promise to come visit me at school, okay? Or at least call me once in a while." James watched his brother stand up and slowly take the money.

"Promise." Eric hugged James tightly. He knew already that he would let James down and he could feel it breaking his heart.

"You'll try to break away from the drugs too, right?" James knew the answer before the question had slipped past his lips.

Eric's smile didn't falter and his eyes never left James' eyes as he lied to his little brother. "Yeah. I'll stop James. I promise."


	7. Heaven

Heaven **Somehow Break Away got smushed in between this one and Seeking Solace. This one is supposed to take place the morning after seeking solace...**

James didn't know how long they had laid together in the darkness, but he knew that Greg had fallen asleep by his steady rhythmic breathing. James lay there staring at the ceiling and wondering if this was all just a dream. What were the odds that he would run into Greg in New Jersey all these years later. Would he wake back up in his college dorm room to Ben's blaring rock music? James curled his body closer to the older man's, and Greg's arm wrapped possessively around his shoulders. This felt as right to James as all of his girlfriends had felt wrong. James kissed Greg's bare chest lightly and Greg moaned softly in his sleep. He belonged here, he wasn't sure how he knew it, but he did. He was destined to be with Greg. Fate had brought them together twice now. He looked at Greg's sleeping face and wondered if this was what heaven felt like. He fell asleep with his head resting on Greg's should and his arm snaked around the older man's waist.

Sunlight was already streaming in the window when Greg's alarm went off. He hastily dropped his hand on it, silencing the high pitched shriek. He groaned slightly as he sat up and reached for his prescription bottle. He slipped two pills into his mouth and took a swig of the bottled water he had on the nightstand. It didn't strike him as odd that the younger man was not in his bed, what did strike him as odd was the delicious smell coming from his kitchen. Greg slipped into his running pants, that were now more like lounge around the house pants, and stood up gingerly. His leg screamed in protest, and he nearly fell back down. He braced himself, cane in one hand and the edge of the nightstand in the other, until he no longer felt as if he would collapse. When he had made the arduous journey from his bedroom to the kitchen, his young companion was standing at the stove over a skillet of scrambled eggs. "What are you still doing here?"

Greg's voice startled James, and he jumped slightly. "I just thought I'd make you breakfast."

"This isn't a relationship, it was a one night stand. Now, get out." Greg could see the hurt in James' eyes and it only steeled him to push harder. Someone young and healthy like James deserved someone equally as young and healthy.

"I thought..."

"That what? That after I took pity on you in Chicago I would be longing to see you? That one day we'd meet again and we'd live happily ever after? I was looking for a good lay and you were it. It was a fluke that we'd met before. You were nothing special then, and you're nothing special now. Now get out." Greg expected James to protest more, and for a moment it looked like he might, but instead James closed his mouth and grabbed his coat off the kitchen chair. Greg could see the tears in James' eyes as he turned and left, shutting the door quietly behind him. Greg turned off the stove and scooped out a bite of the eggs. They were good.

James saw the world through a fog of his tears as he hurried down the street. He had made it down past the bar where he had run into House and sat on a bench. Why had Greg been so angry? Maybe he was being naïve. How could he have expected Greg to react any differently? It wasn't Greg who dreamt of them having a life together. It wasn't Greg who had prayed night and day to find the stranger he had met in a bar years ago. James wiped his eyes and drew in a deep breath of the moist morning air. The streets weren't busy yet, as they would be in a few hours. Right now he had the whole street to himself. His thought wandered to the large scar he had seen on Greg's thigh last night. It hadn't always been there; James knew that much. Greg probably wouldn't have been as intimidating with a cane all those years ago. He had noticed Greg's reluctance to remove his pants as their kiss had turned into something more, and they had quickly moved into the more dimly lit bedroom. Greg had relaxed a little in the darkness. James had tried to be delicate, but Greg had told him quite bluntly that he was always in pain. Maybe that was the reason for his moodiness this morning.

James stood up, for some reason in a much better mood than when he sat down. This wouldn't be the last time he'd see Greg; James was sure of it. He hailed a cab and told the cabbie where to drop him off. He couldn't help the smile that seemed to spread across his face. Something was telling him that they were destined to be together, no matter what Greg thought.


	8. Innocent

"You're lying James." Katie stood with her arms crossed over her chest. She had waited up for him to come home. She shoved her blond bangs out of her face.

"Katie, I swear I was just at work." James could feel his ears start to grow red. He had never been good at lying.

"You can't play innocent with me, James." She grabbed the magazines from the table and hurled them onto the floor at his feet. "If you want to look at that smut instead of me, then by all means go ahead. Look at it, James!"

James knelt down to pick up one of the magazines Katie had thrown across the room. His eyes went wide when he looked at the covers. "Katie, this isn't mine." He almost laughed at the idea, but the look on Katies tear-streaked face squashed the rising feeling. He stood up quickly and crossed the room to her. "Katie this is..."

"I want a divorce, James." Katie's vision was blurred by her tears. She had known it was over in high school. She had felt the distance even then, but she loved him. She hadn't been able to find another guy quite like James.

"Katie. It's not mine, I swear that it's not. Aaron's having..." He fell silent when she raised her hand.

"It's not just that, James. I never see you anymore; and when I do see you, its as if you're not even here. Is it someone else, James?" Katie could see it in his eyes; the way they fell to the ground. "What's she like?"

"Katie...." James trailed off, he didn't know what to say. The truth was that he'd stayed at the office reading Greg's latest article. How did you tell your wife that you were cheating on her with someone who probably didn't even remember that you existed.

"I'm leaving, James." Katie threw her coat on and went out into the cool night air.

James watched Katie leave and there was nothing he could do. He had tried desperately to forget Greg. But every time he saw one of Greg's articles in the medical journals it stirred up those old feelings. James knew that his chances of running into Greg again were slim to none. The last time James had seen him, Greg had made it perfectly clear that it was only a one night stand. James collapsed onto the couch. He knew he wasn't an innocent bystander in Katie's unhappiness. He cared for her; but loving and caring weren't the same thing. She knew that James was attracted to someone else. James couldn't keep lying to himself.


	9. Drive

Wilson sat at the computer, staring at the confirmation screen as the printer droned on in the background. He had just confirmed his reservations at the medical convention down in New Orleans. He needed to get away. He could hear Katie down stairs in the kitchen. He had gone to her mother's house and begged her to come back. It pulled at his heart to know that he was leading her on. If he was any kind of man he would let her leave and move on. If he was any kind of adult, he'd stop day dreaming about a man he shouldn't love and remember who it was that he had married. It would be good for him to get away for a while. He could use the alone time to rethink his life and work on getting over Greg. How pathetic was he for loving a man he'd met when he was still a teenager? A man who had probably forgotten about their one night stand so many years ago.

"What's wrong, James?" Katie rested a hand on her distraught husband's shoulder. They had been walking on eggshells since she had returned home. They felt more like friendly strangers than spouses.

"It's just been a long day. I made my reservations for the medical convention." He pulled the agenda out of the printer and looked it over.

"Don't forget to leave the address and phone number of your hotel for me in case I need you, okay?" She tried to mask the strain in her own voice and failed miserably.

James looked up into her blue eyes and pulled her close to him. "I love you, Katie." He knew that he meant it from somewhere deep inside. From the place where you loved your friends and family; the ones he'd do anything to protect....anything, it seemed, except stop loving Greg.

Katie planted a tender kiss on James' forehead. "I love you too, James. You be safe." She watched as he walked to the door, agenda in hand and grabbed his bags. She couldn't help but smile when she realized that he always had more luggage than she did.

"Is everything okay?" He could see the worry in her eyes that she was trying to hide from him. "I can stay, if you want me to."

Katie closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. "Everything is fine, honey. I'll see you when you get home."

James walked out into the warm evening air and set his bags in the trunk. He slipped behind the wheel of his car and turned the ignition. All that was ahead of him now was the open road and a lot of time to think about his relationship with Katie.

Author's Note: I'm sorry this has taken so long and is so short. I promise the next chapter will be better. I've had a lot of stuff going on and am trying to finish up a few stories that are close to conclusion so that I can concentrate on my remaining stories. I have not given up on any of them. So please, be patient with me. Thank you. --mamorel


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